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» MEDIA (4) Headshot... classic Unreal Tournament goodness. Secondary shock + Primary shock = Deadly shock combo. Sometimes I like to be gangsta and normal at the same time. Fully-charged Piston + Enemy = A Mess.

Let’s take a trip back to 1999. Quake II and Unreal were at the peak of the ladder as far as PC shooters went. They both had their amazing single-player experiences, but also held an unpolished multiplayer element that was asking to be perfected. The next generation of shooters were coming; multiplayer-focused and all. This is where Quake III: Arena and Unreal Tournament spawned. Fragging online would never be the same, but one game had to come on top. That game was Unreal Tournament.

Unreal Tournament, the 2nd game in the Unreal universe, focused and was determined to be the king of shooters for the next coming years. Aimed for a flawless multiplayer experience, this gem sported numbers that any shooter in the past couldn’t match. Twelve weapons, six gametypes, a primary and secondary fire for every weapon... this game trampled over Quake and others in every way.

In a time when 3dfx “Voodoo” video cards were dominant, the graphics in Unreal Tournament were top-notch. The ridiculous fast-paced nature in the game limited you on noticing the details, but when you got down into them, they were the most intense and engrossing graphics you’ve seen. Textures had an array of beauty while the skyboxes were so immerse and detailed, you couldn’t help but stop during gameplay to take a look at the beautiful detail of the Unreal engine… until you were picked off by a sniper 1-3 seconds later, of course.

Beauty aside, Unreal Tournament had a cluster of weapons which defined the game indefinitely. Whether you preferred the blades of spam from the Ripper, or the devastating effect the shock combos of the shock rifle gave off, every weapon had a unique and deadly appeal to it. Also worth noting is the primary and secondary fires every weapon included. This was a first for the time, and it was performed exceptionally. Don’t like shooting slow with the Enforcer? Use secondary to shoot twice is fast, and “gangsta” style at that. Want to rocket somebody, but can’t get around the corner? Secondary fire for the Rocket Launcher provided up to six grenades to be loaded and launched at will, and oh, how deadly they were.

It’s safe to say Epic Games loaded Unreal Tournament with the most replay value any game has seen to this date. Unreal Tournament spanned six gametypes: Assault, Domination, Last Man Standing, and the other classic shooter gametypes: deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag. These new gametypes brought an amazing height to shooters. Domination provided a Battlefield-like control-point scheme to the game, while Assault combined objective-based gameplay with classic fragging. The blend of new and old gametypes kept you busy hour after hour, frag after frag. Unreal Tournament is the PC shooter. Unreal Tournament is the alpha and the omega; it’s matter cannot be contested with. New shooters may have the graphics, but you have to know your roots. The shooter can be described by the game’s uttermost announcer, who says it best… God-like.